Brickyard Lounge and Grill

Racing-geared sports bar serving brews & pub grub in a down-home, car-themed setting.

HOW OUR STORY BEGINS..

Renny and Penney Miles opened the Brickyard Lounge & Grill in August 1993, leasing the distinctive standalone two-story A-frame building at 747 W. International Speedway Blvd., across the street from Bethune-Cookman University.

The building previously was home to a restaurant/bar called the Flame Lounge. Miles and his wife chose to call their restaurant the Brickyard because of its brick exterior. The building was built in 1961.

The Mileses previously lived in Virginia where Renny was a sales representative for General Foods. But he had visited Daytona Beach in the early 1980s to sell NASCAR-themed apparel he and a friend had produced themselves.

During one such visit, Renny Miles and his buddy had their merchandise seized by none other than Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR, who had his security guards detain them for several hours for selling unsanctioned merchandise on Speedway property.

When word spread that Miles and his wife had opened the Brickyard, France's son, Bill France Jr., personally walked into the restaurant to introduce himself, saying he wanted to meet the brash entrepreneur that his late father had told him so much about.

Bill France Jr. became a regular customer, often bringing visiting NASCAR team owners and drivers to try the food.

The inside walls of the Brickyard are adorned with photos and newspaper and magazine articles of the many NASCAR drivers and officials who have eaten there over the years. Sports Illustrated a few years ago included the Brickyard in its list of the "22 Best Places for a Bite and a Beer on the (NASCAR) Cup Circuit."

The Brickyard has been a favorite hangout for locals as well. "Some consider them to have the best burger in town," said Costa Magoulas, dean of the college of hospitality and culinary management at Daytona State College, in a recent interview. - Clayton Park Daytona Beach News-Journal